Universal portable arrangement for delineating playing fields for games

ABSTRACT

Flexible strips having uniformly spaced apertures along their lengths permitting interlocking attachments of the strips for delineating a playing field are disclosed. Various game fields such as for example Hopscotch and Tic-Tac-Toe can be formed with the strips.

United States Patent 1191 Ciarfello Oct. 30, 1973 UNIVERSAL PORTABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR DELINEATING PLAYING FIELDS FOR GAMES [76] Inventor: Matthew J. Ciarfello, 807 Mountain Ave., Bound Brook, NJ. 08805 [22] Filed: July 27, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 275,484

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1900 Sheppard 161/109 x 7 1921 Shields 6/1944 Mandl 273 155 2,483,236 9/1949 Rona 161/109 X 3,066,436 12/1962 Schuh 46/30 3,107,095 10/1963 Cairns..... 273/1 A X 3,136,545 6/1964 Stokes 273/1 A 3,199,246 8/1965 Fischer 46/30 X 3,226,118 12/1965 Nehl 273/1 A 3,515,385 6/1970 Gunderson 273/1 A 3,666,607 5/1972 Weissman 161/109 X Primary ExaminerRichard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-,Paul E. Shapiro Att0rney-Henry Walsh 57 ABSTRACT Flexible strips having uniformly spaced apertures along their lengths permitting interlocking attachments of the strips for delineating a playing field are disclosed. Various game fields such as for example Hopscotch and Tic-Tac-Toe can be formed with the strips.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures UNIVERSAL PORTABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR DELINEATING PLAYING FIELDS FOR GAMES This invention generally relates to new and useful improvements in game devises and more particularly to arrangements being readily foldable and collapsible to a minumum space and readily unfoldable and interlocking to delineate various playing fields by placing it over a flat horizontal area.

Oftentimes it is desirable to provide a portable game device which can be laid on the ground or other supporting surfaces so as to provide the outline of the playing field. One such example is hopscotch in which a plurality of squares are usually drawn on the ground to define the limits of play. Usually this presents a problem of either undersirably applying marks to the floor surface, or attempting to paint the line of grass to produce the square outlines.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable device which may be selectively placed on the ground to delineate a playing field for a game such as hopscotch, and which may be alternately pulled apart to form different game' fields, or for storage or transportation in a compact bundle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a universal strip which can form the basic building block for a variety of game field shapes and which interlock with one another without the necessity for separate fasteners, or the like.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will bemore fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of game field delineator of this invention assembled to show a Tic Tac Toe game arrangement;

FIG. 2 is a view of one interlocked section to show how the strips are held together; and

FIG' 3 is a perspective view of a game field delineator in accordance with this invention assembled to show a hopscotch game field.

Referring now to the drawing, it will be seen that the embodiment of the invention comprises essentially a plurality of strips 1-8 as seen in FIG. 1 and strips 21-48 as seen in FIG. 3. Where the strips intersect each other, they are threaded, in effect, thru a pair of apertures 15-16, as seen best in FIG. 3. There are sufficient numbers of these apertures evenly spaced along strips 1-8 and 21-48 to permit the construction of the game field in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 from the same basic strip material. It is to be noted that while strips l-8 comprise-the entire field inFlG. l, in FIG. 3 many more of these strips are required to create the game field and some of these strips are shorter in length than those of FIG.1.

The elongated strips I-8 and 21-48 are preferably made, or extruded, from flat flexible stock or material. It is considered that plastic or vinyl is perhaps the most superior material for this purpose particularly in view of the interfitting apertures. Moreover, plastic can be easily cut as may be required in certain game formations.

When the playing field is to be transported or stored, it can be pulled apart and carried as long strips or rolled into small circles. In either event the portability of my game arrangement is easily perceived.

It should be also observed that the punched strips depicted herein have various other useful'applications and in particular for handi-craft enthusiasts. Some of these are in the making of shutter panels, curtains (window), runners (table), placemats, pillow enclosures, netting, fencing, hand bags and other decorative devices. Moreover, the strips can be tightly or loosely woven in different designs or multi colored to enhance the foregoing applications.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A portable playing field delineator comprising a plurality of elongate members delineating a plurality of joined but individual rectangular areas when placed on a substantially flat horizontal area, and each of said elingate members being of flat material rectangular in outline and having pairs of parallel elongate apertures at even intervals along the length thereof adapted for interlocking intersecting sections of said strips which are threaded through said apertures.

2. The invention recited in claim 1 wherein said material is plastic. 

1. A portable playing field delineator comprising a plurality of elongate members delineating a plurality of joined but individual rectangular areas when placed on a substantially flat horizontal area, and each of said elingate members being of flat material rectangular in outline and having pairs of parallel elongate apertures at even intervals along the length thereof adapted for interlocking intersecting sections of said strips which are threaded through said apertures.
 2. The invention recited in claim 1 wherein said material is plastic. 